We probably should have known a popular theory given credence by a famous and controversial coach would have an impact that lasted well beyond the few seconds it took to be aired on national television.

Yes, college basketball fans remain fixated on the F-word even three days later.

Flop.

At halftime of Tuesday night’s game against Duke, Kentucky coach John Calipari told ESPN reporter Andy Katz regarding the Blue Devils, “They’re flopping all over the place. In the NBA, they’d all be suspended.” What it seems no one has bothered to do since—and we’re as guilty as anyone, until now—is examine whether there was any legitimacy to Calipari’s claim.

The conversation about flopping has continued well beyond any consideration of how impressively No. 9 Duke played in earning a decisive 75-68 victory over the No. 3 Wildcats in the second game of the Champions Classic at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. It seems a bit unfair, and certainly we’re continuing that trend. But we hope it’s in pursuit of something noble: The truth.

It turns out there were four charges called against Kentucky in the first half of the game, prior to Calipari’s comments. We took a look at each numerous times, using the video feed provided by the WatchESPN app on an iPad.

Here’s what we found:

12:31: Kentucky guard Julius Mays accepted a pressure-release pass near the top of the key from teammate Jarrod Polson. Mays drove to his left and got a step on Duke defender Seth Curry and continued to advance toward the goal, eventually choosing to slide a pass across the lane to his right. As he released the ball, he approached Duke veteran forward Josh Hairston, who immediately fell backward and drew a whistle from the official. Mays, presumably out of control enough to induce a charge, didn’t even stumble as they met. It did not appear Hairston absorbed that much contact. Verdict: FLOP.

12:10: On Kentucky’s next trip, Polson also found an opening down the left side and got all the way to the baseline. Curry saw him arriving and slid across the lane to position himself for a charge. Curry seemed awfully deep under the goal when he encountered Polson and it did not seem he could possibly have gotten set outside the no-charge zone—but an end-zone replay showed he clearly was set, clearly outside the arc. Verdict: NOT A FLOP.

7:24: Because of a stumble by Duke’s Mason Plumlee, Kentucky freshman Willie Cauley-Stein found himself with what appeared to be an open lane to the goal after catching the ball in the short corner to the right. Cauley-Stein bounced the ball once and jumped to pass to teammate Alex Poythress—but as Cauley-Stein advanced, Blue Devils junior guard Tyler Thornton slid over to cut him off. There was an obvious collision, so Thornton was not flopping in the least. Though it was an ideal reaction to stop a broken defensive play—and fairly courageous, given the size differential between Thornton (6-1) and Cauley-Stein (7-0)—it appeared Thornton, by a smidge, was not on the scene in legal guarding position as Cauley jumped. Verdict: NOT A FLOP.

0:34: Poythress accepted a pass from Polson near the right elbow and started an angle drive toward the left side of the lane. But Duke freshman Rasheed Sulaimon cut it off, and Poythress reflexively lowered his right arm toward Sulaimon’s chest. Did Sulaimon exaggerate the contact? As powerful as Poythress is, it was apparent Sulaimon “emphasizes” that power. Was it a legitimate charge? Beyond doubt because Sulaimon was a primary defender being contacted in legal guarding position. Verdict: NOT A FLOP.

So in the half that preceded Calipari’s comment, Duke benefitted once from a flop. Not really a crisis.

Calipari did not have the benefit of multiple replays, and the plays in question all occurred at the opposite end of the court. And he no doubt was frustrated by the number of such calls that went against his team. In the end, Duke simply had arranged a defensive game plan designed to cope with a young team that is, per the preferences of its championship coach, eager to drive the basketball. It was a winning effort.

As well, the officials working the game did not ignore the forearm extended by Duke senior Ryan Kelly to clear space against UK forward Kyle Wiltjer and called Kelly for an offensive foul early in the first half.

If you want to discuss dubious officiating, consider what occurred in Akron’s overtime loss Thursday to Oklahoma State, when the Cowboys were awarded a basket scored after OSU freshman Marcus Smart collided with an Akron defender, who was called for a block. Those plays occurred about as simultaneously as the French Revolution and World War II.

Consider the abysmal flagrant-1 call against Purdue’s D.J. Byrd, who was contacted repeatedly by trapping Villanova defenders while the Boilers held a four-point lead and struck one with the triceps portion of his arm while trying to swing the ball to attempt a pass. People complain about the flagrant-1 rule, but when properly applied it’s designed to promote player safety. Improperly applied, as in this case, it can change the outcome of a game.

And yet there have been almost no complaints about how those games were officiated, while those bothered by Duke’s continued success continue their crusade. It’s enough to fling around another F-word once or twice.